Select Local Merchants

Arthur Murray Dance Studio has been a leading name in franchise dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and the Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, the Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Clients who arrive to lessons partnerless will be paired up with other classmates as the instructors assess their current skill level and make recommendations on the most appropriate program. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns, timing, and the ability to lead or follow.

Dance with Joy Studios owner Rachel Lidskog, along with her team of professional instructors, whisks fledgling hoofers around three hardwood-floor studios, infusing their feet with new knowledge of salsa, swing, tango, country, and ballroom.
She and her team identify private lessons, group classes or special workshops, fitness classes such as NIA and Zumba, and weekly dance parties as the best ways to learn to dance, superior even to dropping a family of ants into your overalls. They also organize wedding-dance lessons to ensure nuptial celebrations progress smoothly and cheerfully.

The consortium of professional instructors at Fred Astaire Dance Studios, which was cofounded by the legendary toe tapper himself, shepherds adults of all ages and skill levels through lessons that span the style spectrum. Low-pressure private sessions allow enthusiastic teachers to fine-tune individual students' techniques and form, using their expert eyes and mechanical dancing shoes preprogrammed to do the cha-cha. Patrons can learn how to cavort through classic waltz and fox-trot romps or swivel through the modern steps of tango, swing, or rumba. For dancers hoping to hoof it up in a social setting, the group practice provides a one-night extravaganza of instruction, demonstrations, and amateur firewalking.

According to the founders of Nia, the cliche "no pain, no gain" is not only played out, it's also completely false. The Nia Technique developed over more than a decade by Debbie Rosas and Carlos AyaRosas, takes the complete opposite approach, synthesizing dance, martial arts, and healing arts into a painless, pleasant fitness regimen. Eschewing the
repetitive movements of conventional gym routines or trendy workouts that force you to lift the same car over your head everyday, Nia classes set varied stretching, strength training, and non-impact aerobic exercises to a diverse soundtrack that includes jazz, pop, hip-hop, and Indian music. Other aspects, such as its repertoire of 52 moves, are akin to yoga, while additional elements are drawn from martial arts, such as the belt system and the fact that participants do not wear shoes. The diverse origins of the program are reflected in the diverse countries where it has taken root: Nia is practiced in more than 45 countries, from Belgium to New Zealand to Israel to Mexico.

The all-female team behind Satin Studios snaps steamy boudoir photos for clients to share with their significant others within a posh downtown studio. In Satin Studio's spa-like environment, photographers and staff pamper clients to help them feel comfortable and at ease. If clients choose, a resident stylist can provide expert hairstyling and makeup application. Once primped, subjects work with photographers who help bring out their flirtatious side, snapping pictures at angles that flatter the subject's body shape in a variety of themes including retro pinup, soft and romantic, classic black and white, or fun, storytelling looks such as sexy cowgirl or sultry nurse. Aside from boudoir photography, the team also performs bridal, glamour, pinup, and burlesque photo shoots.